Death in the Family
by bukalay
Summary: October 4 AU: Ken died in Shinjiro's place. Rated T: for talks of death and cursing.


_**OCTOBER 4**_

"Go to hell!" Shinjiro shouted as he charged up towards the revolver wielding, shirtless guy.

_**BANG**_

Takaya pulled the trigger after shifting its position a bit. It hit Shinji's left leg, which caused him to be on his knees

"Ugh!... Agh!" the beanie wearing teenager grunted in pain as he tried to stop blood from flowing out of his gunshot wound

"N-no" Ken muttered as he watch the scene unfold before him.

"Now then… with what life you have left, answer me this" the white haired lunatic said as he pointed the gun towards the Aragaki's head.

"There is one like Chidori among you, is there not? This has enabled you to locate and defeat those that we wish to protect. Now tell me… Which one of you is it?"

Shinjiro's only answer were grunts of pain.

A few seconds of silence reigned.

"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" the shirtless man continued

"Th-there's no one" Shinji answered

"Wait! It-it's me!" Ken shouted

"is that true?"

"… yes. That's the only reason they let me join." Ken said as he walked three steps forward.

"Ken… no!" Shinjiro shouted

Takaya's only response was by kicking the fallen older S.E.E.S member present

"Agh!" Shinjiro grunted

"… Quiet, you had your chance"

"…My revenge. It's over I don't have any other reason to fight after this… I'm… no longer needed" the youngest of the group muttered as his will to live is slowly fading.

"I see, so you have achieved resolution" Takaya replied as he pointed his barrel at Ken's head.

"How enviable…" the shirtless man shot Shinjiro once more at his right leg.

"AaaaH! The coat wearing member of S.E.E.S shouted in pain.

"Then you shall be first!" Takaya once again pointed the gun on a mere 10 year old.

Sensing the danger, Shinjiro _tried_ to stand up.

"C'mon move, move damn it!" Shinjiro thought as he practically forced to move his body.

But to no avail

_**BANG**_

"Aaaah!" Ken screamed as he was shot on his shoulder.

"Hmm, I missed?" Takaya mused as he pointed his gun back to the head of the boy.

"Shinji!" Akihiko's voice sounded from afar, but also near.

Takaya just smirked and watched the boy clutch his shoulder in pain.

Tears are practically falling from the kid's eyes as he tried not to cry from the pain of just being shot at.

Then the rest of S.E.E.S members arrive, running to save both of their friends.

"Rest…" Takaya said "… Peacefully"

_**BANG**_

And just like that. Ken Amada was no more, much to the horror of the teenagers in the area.

Cause of death. A large bullet wound on the kid's forehead.

"Ken!"

"Amada!"

"Ken-kun!"

Shouted the members of S.E.E.S as they rushed towards the lifeless boy.

Meanwhile Takaya escaped through the darkness with a contented smile on his face.

* * *

_**FEW DAYS LATER**_

Everybody was still shaken by the recent events.

Even Ikutsuki, who may as well serve to brighten everyone's mood, is silent.

Ken Amada was already buried, and contrary to what Ikutsuki said, about the boy being supported by his relatives.

Not even one came

* * *

Makoto Yuki, skipped a few days of school from regret.

He kept punching the wall in his room.

Feeling angry at himself for failing to save the boy.

* * *

Junpei iori, put up a mask.

He smiled despite Ken's death

He smiled at the words of condolences offered by other people

But when he was in his room.

He'd thrash everything around him. It took Akihiko, Mitsuru and Makoto to restrain the grief-stricken boy.

He treated Ken like he would to a little brother.

He was the closest thing Junpei could have one.

* * *

Yukari Takeba, along with a slightly calm Junpei, still went to classes.

But you could see the sadness in her eyes.

Her arrows always missed, to the point of hitting something else entirely. It was either the nearby tree. Or If your hair has the same color as that of Takaya. She'd _accidentally_ shoot it your way.

You see, she attempted to revive Ken by casting Recarm on the boy's lifeless form, but after the dark hour ended, she knew it was futile.

She's sad because the little brother she never had died in front of her.

Also she's furious to the person who killed the said little brother. Which would explain her animosity towards people who has similar hair color as that of the murderer. Except Akihiko of course

* * *

Fuuka Yamagishi also skipped school for a few days.

She always cried herself to sleep to the point that she forgets to eat a single meal.

It was only thanks to Junpei that she was able to eat at least once a day.

She felt responsible for Ken's death. She felt that she could have saved the young boy from doom had she found him and Shinjiro-senpai sooner.

* * *

Koromaru, the valiant Shiba-inu.

Before he was taken in by S.E.E.S, he would always protect Naganaki shrine from looters to Shadows of the Dark Hour, in the absence of his late master.

With the death of Ken, the dog stayed by Ken's room's door. Hopefully waiting that Ken would greet him as he did every day.

The only times that he's in the living room would be when everyone is there, but lately, everyone seems to have eaten before coming back to the dorm.

* * *

Shinjiro Aragaki. The man _directly_ responsible for Ken's mother's death.

He has just been discharged from the hospital.

His fast recovery is attributed to the repetitive use of Dia and Diarama by the people who has those skills.

He felt that she should have died in the boy's place.

Heck he felt that the bullet that lodged on the boy's head should have been lodged on his own chest.

The boy should have gotten his revenge.

The boy should have live longer than him.

* * *

Akihiko Sanada the man who is _indirectly_ the cause of the death of Ken's mom.

He was part of the operation that took the woman's life.

As such he is equally responsible.

The next thing he had to another younger sibling was Ken. Granted that he wasn't Miki at all, but he was a boy, and she was girl who had blood relations to him.

He failed to protect the person viewed by many as a younger brother.

He felt weak.

He may not have cried, but he IS grieving.

And the only way to take his mind off of the tragic events was by training himself further. Pushing himself past his limit, it is only due to the intervention of Mitsuru that he gets to rest at all, let alone eat.

* * *

Mitsuru Kirijo the princess of the Kirijo Conglomerate.

The company directly responsible to all events with regards to Shadows and Personas.

The death of Yukari's dad.

The death of Makoto's parents.

The death of Ken's mother

And now Ken's death itself.

She may not have shown it, but she felt regret. Dragging an elementary school kid to the Kirijo group's past misdeeds.

She grieved at the loss of the life of a little boy.

She grieved at her own weakness.

She felt that if she had realized sooner what October 4 meant, she could have save the young boy's life.

* * *

_**DECEMBER 15**_

No one got over Ken's death. Even with the death of the CEO of the Kirijo group.

Though they may seem to have moved, but they still clung to those "what if" scenarios.

And now, Shinjiro is rushed to the hospital.

Cause of illness, the Anti-Persona suppressants.

Shinjiro revealed the side effects of the suppressants he has been taking after the death of Chidori.

But that is of course due to Takaya's ramblings.

Everyone could feel that Shinjiro is slowly but surely slipping away from their grasps.

Shinjiro died just a few hours after he'd been admitted to the hospital.

All of them couldn't take the losses they just took.

Ken's death

Kirijo-sama's death

Chidori's death, though in Technicality it would be Junpei's death.

And now Shinjiro's death.

No one had the strength of putting up a façade of emotionlessness.

All of them broke down to tears as Shinjiro's heart rate went flat line.

* * *

_**MARCH 5**_

All of them defeated the fall. But at another cost.

There lied on Aigis' lap was the smiling, yet lifeless, body of Makoto Yuuki

No one had known of the sacrifices S.E.E.S made to _extend _their existences.

And one thing is for sure.

No one was the same after all the sacrifices they made.

* * *

A/N: I realize how cruel I am... but I just want to make a point.

had Ken died in Shinji's place on October 4.

We could have lost two party members instead of 1...

saying things like

"Ken should have died instead of muh Shinji"

"THat brat Shinji should've lived!"

and notice how everyone's personas never evolved?


End file.
